The Trio

Folks are most likely getting a mite tired of my constant tales of the Bayou critters but they are what I observe on a daily basis.  Yep..you can say it..I don't get out much.  I adore my Bayou and all of my critter friends and have no desire to venture forth into the madhouse of town.  My description of it being a madhouse is actually appropriate at the current time as the Coast has been invaded by people showing their classic cars.  If I was highly interested in cars, this might be a boon but since I am not, I will leave the hustle and bustle of the "Cruising the Coast" to the car aficionados.  My time will be spent among my Bayou friends as they are usually non-judgmental and not nearly as busy!

This morning, Mark and I decided to try our hand at fishing once again.  The few fish that we caught last week were most delicious and that called for another meal to be caught.  Although we did not catch anything worth keeping, we had a grand time.  There was a multitude of birds out trying to catch their breakfast. Gulls, terns, ospreys, loons, mergansers, herons, egrets and pelicans were all fishing!  This made for an amusing show.  Of particular interest were a trio of pelicans.  We watched as they dove after the menhaden that were schooling in the Bay. They  were a lot like synchronized swimmers only their performance also included synchronized flying and diving as well. How in the world the birds did not collide with each other is far beyond my understanding.  Their precision in flight is amazing considering how clumsy the birds appear on land.

It is the common thought, that the Brown Pelican catches its prey as it dives into the water but this is not actually true.  They do dive but this is more of a use of force to stun the fish. The bill is held tightly closed when diving. The impact of the pelican's large, heavy body on the water disorients the fish long enough for the pelican to use its large bill to scoop up dozens at a time.  After scooping up a bill full of fish, the pelican will tilt its head upward and drain water from the bill before swallowing.  The trio, today, were filling their gut with menhaden.  They will be nice and fat before winter comes.  Food will become a bit scarce then and this fat will help them to survive.  The fat, whatever fish they can catch during the winter months and the handouts they will receive from my fishing trips will have to sustain them until spring.

I watch the pelicans like most folks watch television. They are just so interesting.  (Personally, I have no television.  This gives me the opportunity to be part of life instead of vegetating in front of a nonsensical box.)  I would much rather be on my pier communicating with my Bayou friends and I consider the pelicans as friends.